IDF indicts reservist for severely beating Palestinian detainees, filming acts
Soldier allegedly hit terror suspects with stick, gun while guarding transport; separately, IDF details suspicions against 9 troops held for abuse case at Sde Teiman
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
An Israel Defense Forces reservist was indicted on Tuesday for abusing Palestinian detainees, unrelated to an ongoing investigation against nine soldiers who were taken for questioning on Monday over the alleged sexual abuse of another detainee.
The soldier, named as Staff Sgt. (res.) Yisrael Zakaria Hajbi, was serving at the Sde Teiman base — which houses a detention facility — at the time of the alleged abuse.
According to an indictment filed by military prosecutors, the reservist on several occasions between February and June, while securing the transport of terror suspects, allegedly “used severe violence against the detainees he was entrusted with guarding.”
“During some of the transports, without any danger from the security detainees, and while the detainees were handcuffed and blindfolded, the defendant hit them,” the IDF said.
The reservist allegedly hit the detainees with a stick and his personal weapon, while filming the acts, according to the incitement.
He was charged with several counts of aggravated abuse and conduct unbecoming a soldier.
The announcement came as soldiers arrested by Military Police on Monday for suspected severe abuse of a Palestinian terror suspect were brought for a hearing before the military court.
According to the IDF, the soldiers were suspected of aggravated sodomy (a charge equivalent to rape), causing bodily harm under aggravated circumstances, abuse under aggravated circumstances and conduct unbecoming of a soldier.
Some of the suspects were also suspected of assault and interfering with the work of public servants, the IDF said Tuesday.
The reservists were arrested by masked Military Police detectives at the Sde Teiman base in southern Israel. After the arrests, a mob of far-right activists and lawmakers broke into the base and demonstrated, and later stormed the Beit Lid base where the suspects were being held.
The investigation into the soldiers was launched after a detained terror suspect was brought from the base to a hospital with signs of serious abuse, including to his anus. He was arrested by the IDF in the Gaza Strip several weeks ago.
The right-wing Honenu legal aid organization, which is representing four of the reservist soldiers, claimed on Monday that its clients acted in self-defense in the alleged abuse incident.
The IDF announced in May that it was investigating reports of abuse and torture of detainees in Sde Teiman following reports that the prisoners were being severely mistreated.
The reports alleged widespread abuse of prisoners, including extreme use of physical restraints, beatings, neglect of medical problems, arbitrary punishments and more.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the High Court that Sde Teiman should only be used for short-term detention and questioning of Palestinian security detainees caught in Gaza.
Terror operatives and other suspects are generally initially held in detention facilities at the IDF’s Sde Teiman, Anatot and Ofer bases, before being handed over to the Israel Prison Service. The detainees can legally be held for 45 days before they must be either released or moved into the care of the IPS.
Following the abuse and torture allegations and the ACRI’s petition to the High Court, the state announced that the IDF would phase out the use of Sde Teiman, and prisoner transfers began immediately.
